Signing Time Review

Guest Author - Rebecca Spooner

When I first heard of Signing Time I thought it was a great idea right from the start. Signing with young children is becoming more and more popular and this is a method that is easy for parents to do. When I started having children, I had the perfect chance to try out the videos. I bought the first two Baby Signing Time DVD's and was amazed at the result. I allowed my 8 month old to watch the 20 minute episodes every day and started using the signs "please, thank you, more, all done, etc" in our day-to-day lives. By 10 months old, although he could not yet talk, he was using signs to communicate his wants and needs to me. I have three children whose favorite videos are Signing Time. They beg for them every day. Signing time is full of catchy songs, bright colors, videos of children and babies preforming the signs, etc. They are interesting to watch, even for an adult, and the repetition in the videos alone makes it easier to learn quite quickly.

Before you can understand how these videos work, I think it is important to know the history behind why they were created. Rachel Coleman is the mother of two girls, Leah and her sister Lucy. When Leah was 14 months, they learned that she was profoundly deaf and Rachel immediately began learning sign language. By 18 months, something interesting happened, Leah's signing vocabulary surpassed the spoken vocabulary of most kids her age. While other kids would throw tantrums or whine for something, Leah would simply sign what she wanted. Lucy was born a few years later 8 weeks premature with spina bifida and cerebral palsy. Doctors were sceptical that Lucy would ever speak let alone sign with her rigid fingers. Shortly after the first video came out she started signing. Rachel and her sister Emilie decided to create videos with their children Alex and Leah to help teach this groundbreaking developmental tool to other parents. What began as a community movement has skyrocketed and parents all over the world have caught on to the momentum of signing time.

Professionals have long been praising the use of sign language no matter what your child's age or capabilities as it is so beneficial for their development. Parents of children who used to scream and whine to get their way have been amazed to see the results of simply teaching their child a way to communicate.

Since starting out, Rachel and Emilie have created 3 volumes of signing time: Baby Signing Time, Signing Time Vol. 1, and Signing Time Vol. 2. Baby Signing Time is purely devoted to children ages 3 months-3 years. It is full of music, everyday signs such as "mama, dad, eat, more, all done, milk, water, etc.", and adorable videos of babies doing the signs along with Alex and Leah. My babies have always loved these videos, to the point of jumping up and down and squealing as soon as it comes on. They love to dance to the music, and it has truly helped them communicate at a much earlier age.

In essence, this is an amazing product. Whether you are an educator, a parent of any child of any age, or especially if you are working with a special needs child. Whatever your situation, Signing Time can help! Click here for more information or to purchase this amazing product today!